At Ghan House, we take clean energy very seriously. In recent years we’ve been taking initiatives to make clean energy choices. Below is a list of the Initiatives taken & being taken to make Ghan House more energy efficient, save money & therefore, reducing our carbon footprint! This is only the start of our clean energy journey…
Comparing Jan to August 2017 to the same 8 months 2024, we are using 44% less energy (KW & equivalent KW) – gas, oil & electric. Reduced our use of fossil fuels by 82% and reduced our KG of C02 by 70%.
Energy Initiatives
Water
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- Pipes on our roof direct all of our rainwater under the car park & automatically feeds our pond (1998).
- Gents’ toilet is fitted with movement sensors for urinals, lights & fan (1999).
- We all like a good powerful shower in the morning, so we use a water pump for all our showers – so we save water & re-use water elsewhere;
- Being on 12 acres, there are water pipes running underground in a lot of places – so water use is monitored & measured each week – so water leaks (and there have been a few) are quickly realised and fixed. (www.newater.ie John/Larry)
- Ladies’ toilet in the bar is fitted with movement sensor for tap, flush and soap dispenser – cutting down water use and better from hygiene aspect. (2001)
Gas
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- Is now just 8% of what it used to be – we have replaced the gas boiler for our 8 garden bedrooms with Air Source heat pump, have eradicated all gas from our professional kitchens – now it is all induction. The only gas we use is for our gas drier in the laundry.
- Dryer for laundry – gas dryer – fitted 2002 – a clear sign indicating precise drying time for various types of load – correct drying time eliminates approx 10 – 20% of gas use.
- Our commercial kitchen – we’ve totally eradicated gas and moved over to induction grill & hob top. With a gas hobtop – 54% of the energy is only given to the pan – the rest to the room, whereas with induction 94% of energy goes into the pan – hence the room doesn’t get as hot & the extractor fan is on less. We’ve replaced our dishwasher & 2 x fridges & 1 freezer to low energy versions. The dishwasher recycles the steam it produces into heating the water intake. In addition to using zero gas in the kitchen, the overall electric use of Ghan House to include the kitchen has reduced by 134 KW per week. 17th April 2024
Electricity
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- All the electricity is from 100% renewable sources and has been since 2015.
- The Main House & the 8 garden bedrooms are kept at a constant 21 degrees Celsius & constant hot water by 2 x Air Source heat pumps. The idea is that instead of the old gas boiler periodically blasting the radiators & water tank with loads heat, off & on, a gentle heat is maintained at 21-degree 24hrs a day. Hence the radiators will never be hot, a gentle warmth will be maintained and regulated by how warm the outside temperature is. (Jan 18th 2018 & Jan 21st 2022).
If you want to learn more about the system, talk to me – Paul. - Outside the garden bedrooms you will see 2 car electric charge points – which all we ask our guests who use them to make a donation, into the charity box by the jams in the entrance hall. (2013)
- All batteries for TV & mini hi-fis are rechargeable. (2001)
- Non-atmospheric lighting changed to low energy bulbs – such as corridors & lighting with coloured shade.
- All unnecessary electricals such as lights and computers are turned off when not in use.
- 3 public toilets & all downstairs garden bedroom bathrooms fitted with a motion detector fan that will automatically turn off if no movement for 3 minutes (2015 & 2018).
- Bar lights have been changed to low energy smart bulbs.
When all bar lights are on, it is now 60W versus 600W previously. (2012)
- 70% of electricity consumed at Ghan House is now from wind turbines (from the electricity company), and all is 100% renewable making the electricity used almost 4 times cleaner than the average usage over the whole of Ireland.
Waste
- Your toiletries in your bedroom – are not tested on animals, they have no SLSs, parabens or petrochemicals and the card packaging used if you wish to buy – is from sustainable sources and printed with vegetable-derived ink. They come from the Handmade Soap Company in nearby Slane – giving us less waste (we don’t use those silly small throwaway bottles that there is never enough product in to clean youself!) and giving you enough gorgeous product in re-fillable bottles to keep clean!
- Likewise, for breakfast, instead of small little pots of jams & marmalades, there is a selection of larger pots to choose from to help yourself to your own jam & marmalade – which are made by proprietor Joyce Carroll.
- Both the milk and orange juice are supplied in glass bottles which are returned to Muchgrange Farm – just down the road – cutting out about 3 sacks of bin bags full of single use plastic bottles each week.(March 2022)
- Both the soaps and jams are available for sale if you like them as much as we do!
- We compost uncooked fruit & veg peelings. Old kitchen oil is kept and then taken away & recycled into fuel by Frylite. All cooked leftover food is taken away by Frylite for conversion to lorry fuel, energy use & compost
- Periodically (depending on decomposition) 100% of breakfast waste into green cone & decompose naturally – we have 3 green cones all called different days of the week. (2010)
- Own herb & vegetable gardens for the kitchens.
- Old newspapers & paper napkins used to make log fires.
- All cardboard, paper and plastic bottles into green bin for recycling. All glass bottles & kitchen oil are collected for recycling.
- Deliveries into kitchen – most boxes and crates taken back by supplier for re-use at time of delivery.
- Both sides of A4 printed paper used when appropriate.
- On arrival after a long journey, we appreciate you may have built up some debris in the car – which is why by the door to the garden bedrooms, we have provided you with 4 waste bins segregated into glass, plastic, paper & cans!
Other initiatives
- Customer bills, if not kept, are sliced in ½ and postcard for sale to guests & money encouraged to go into charity box.
- Our main house oil boiler (which now since Jan 2022 only kicks in when really cold as Air Source now operating) has had its’ burner adjusted & configured to burn diesel instead of Kerosene (2005)
- Gas drier installed for laundry (2002). Gas meter for the kitchen, gas meter for the laundry, electric meters for the 2 x Air Source Heat pumps, the overall electric meter, the meter on the oil boiler are all read every week & any discrepancies addressed. (2005). I use the app called ‘Meter Readings’ – by Graham Haley from the App store
- The water meter is also read remotely (by newater.ie) & any water leaks can be detected within 24hrs. (2010)
- Attic spaces fitted with 100% Pure Sheep wool insulation (8 to 10 inches) from County Wicklow www.sheepwoolinsulation.com – Aishling
- Feather down & duvets and pillows – are made from 100% natural materials – asthma & allergy treated (Oeko-Tex 100) – and are anti allergic and asthma safe (County Wicklow – www.bedsofafeather.com – Deborah or Freya).
Low, warm, energy efficient lighting at Ghan House.
Future Plans
- 50KW Solar electricity generation
- Convert commercial kitchen from gas to 100% electric & change gas drier to moist sensor electric drier & hence zero gas .
- Windmill for electricity generation.
- Biogas waste food into gas generation.
